Ebury House Hotel

I was amused at the reviews I have seen on this hotel. There seemed to be mixed reactions. I felt it was nice enough for the type of hotel that it is - namely, a youth hostel type. I found out about it on the youth hostel website. I did think the rates listed were slightly misleading - it listed its cheapest rate as 25 pounds, when I got there they said the only room available was one for three people which cost 48 pounds. Plus there was a 1 pound plus charge for using my checkcard. It was on the 5th floor or a tiny row-house type building so I had to walk up 4 flights of steps. Neverthless it looked nice enough. It apparently is under new management and has been renovated recently - looked like it had a new paint job. For my purposes I think I am just as happy to walk up since I can do it and I feel more secure that way. They had a bathroom on each floor and there were three small rooms on my floor. The other two rooms filled up - I think one of them may have had their own bathroom. The people I saw seemed very nice. The bathroom was small but adequate. However when I took a shower the water was only lukewarm. The great advantage to this is its location - it is on the next block from Victoria Coach Station and a couple of blocks from Victoria Rail Station. As I understand that London is very pricey I suppose it is a good buy considering. All I wanted was a place to spend the night as I was leaving early next morning and for that purpose it was adequate. They did not include breakfast but Victoria Coach station has lots of fast-food type places inside the station-I especially recommend the ham and cheese pasty for 1pound35. Also there is a small grocery store beside the station. If I go to London again I probably will try something else but it is good to keep in mind in case I need an inexpensive place to stay next to the station.

When I booked our twin ensuite room, I spoke on the phone with a very lovely young lady. I had seen the hotel in a guidebook which is usually very reliable, and the price was very good for London. We chose the hotel for the proximity to Victoria Station as we needed to be on the Gatwick Express early in the morning. Neighborhood was lovely (Belgravia) and safe. Short walk (15-20 minutes) to Parliment, London Eye, Westminster.

Our problems started when we got to the front door. There was a sign indicating we were to check in next door at the Collin House.

I went in to the reception area, where a young man told me I would have to wait as there was someone in front of me. Not a problem. However, I stood for quite some time and he did not acknowledge me again (except to introduce his mother when she came in). He was working on the computer, so I assumed he was checking rooms. I finally asked if I was in the right place to check in. He assumed I was wating to use the guest computer, why I'm not sure. After finally completing the check in process, i mentioned I was looking forward to speaking with the woman who had booked my stay. I was then told the reason we were checking in at the Collin House is that they have bought the Ebury House.

We have stayed in London several times, so we are aware of smaller hotels, but this was the worst experience we have had. Beds were terrible, linens scratchy. Entire bathroom was a stall stuck in the corner of the room. You could barely turn around in it. Toilet paper holder broken, so tp sat on shelf behind toilet...almost unreachable. No soap in the sink. No hand towels. Curtains didn't close. Tv didn't work. Air freshener (Glade solid) was empty. Did I mention there was no heat? No way to turn the radiator up/on.

I would not recommend this hotel.